University of Massachusets Athletics
Swimming Alum Brown To Swim Strait Of Gibraltar
May 25, 2011 | Men's Swimming & Diving
May 25, 2011
AMHERST, Mass. - UMass men's swimming alumnus Billy Brown '01 will embark on a journey Thursday to swim across the Strait of Gibraltar, from Spain to Morocco, a feat that has only been accomplished 300 times before. The only UMass men's swimmer to ever qualify for NCAAs during Head Coach Russ Yarworth's 32 seasons, Brown will battle cold water temperatures, strong currents, and sheer distance to accomplish the feat.
Brown is blogging about his adventure and you can follow him on his quest at UMassAquatics.org.
The length of the swim, which begins in Tarifa, Spain, is between nine and 12 nautical miles, depending on the influence of strong currents, which range from three to seven knots, and generally takes between four and six hours. Water temperatures in the strait are currently at 64 degrees. Swimmers and their escort boats must also deal with passing freighters, as the strait is one of the busiest shipping waterways in the world.
According to the Gibraltar Strait Swimming Association, the one-way swim across the body of water that separates Europe from Africa and connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea has only been completed 300 times (38 by Americans).
Brown was a four-time Atlantic 10 Individual Champion in his career at UMass, winning gold in the 200 breast in 2000 and 2001, the 100 breast in 2000, and the 400 IM in 2001. His 200 breast time of 1:58.66 at the 2001 Atlantic 10 Championships is still the conference record.
Besides the 200 breast, Brown also holds two other UMass program records, 55.73 in the 100 breast and 3:56.48 in the 400 IM.
Brown, 32, resides in Kauai, Hawaii where he is the Aquatics Director of the YMCA.